Method of making and filling containers



E. M. MURPHY Eiled Dec. 5, 1938 METHOD OF MAKING AND FILLING CONTAINERS June 10, 1941.

INVENTOR.

mwm M ATTORNEY.

Patented June 10, 194i METHOD F MAKING AND FILLING CONTAINERS 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of making and filling containers and more particularly to the type of container having a plurality of compartments wherein different products may be contained and preserved without mixing.

It is highly desirable, particularly in the canning industr-y, to have foods customarily served together, such as corned beef and cabbage or baked beans and brown bread, canned in measured portions in a single container so that each may be available when the can is opened unmixed with and unaffected by the juices of the other. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of making and filling containers having a plurality of compartments isolated from each other wherein products commonly utilized together may be contained and stored without mixing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method whereby a container of the above type is readily fabricated, filled and sealed.

A still further object is to provide a novel method for filling and sealing one of a plurality of compartments of a metal container or can when one end of the latter is hermetically sealed.

Still another object is to provide a novel container having at least two* compartments which is readily and economically fabricated, lled and sealed.

The above and other objects and novel features will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for purposes of illustration only and is not intended as a delinition of the limits of the invention, reference being primarily had for this latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View, somewhat diagrammatic, illustrating one method of fabricating a container according to the present invention; and,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View, taken substantially along line 3 3 of Fig. l, showing in detail a means for sealing the interior of one compartment of a container.

The single embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example comprises an outer container 4 having a cylindrical body 5 adapted tobe hermetically sealed at each end by closures or covers 5, and l, the edges of the latter and of said body being adapted to be pressed in a manner well known in the art into airtight seams 8 to form the hermetical seal. Y

Novel means are provided in the presentinvention whereby the interior of a container such as container 4 is divided into two compartments of predetermined capacity which are completely isolated from each other so that foods customarily served together may be contained and preserved in the separate compartments without mixing. As shown, this separation into compartments is accomplished by an inner container 9 having an open end and adapted to be resiliently supported within container 4 with edge .I0 of the open end engaging cover 6. To provide a resilient support, an inwardly extending ilange or corrugation Il is formed intermediate the ends of container body 5, and a bead I2, which constitutes the lower edge of inner container 9, rests on said flange.

To seal the interior of container 9 and therefore the contents thereof from the compartment formed beneath said container, the latter is positioned between cover 6 and flange Il under pressure so that said flange urges the container into engagement with said cover. Thus two pressure seals are formed, one between bead i2 and flange il and the other between edge l0 and cover 6.

To augment the sealing effect and to insure that the same is maintained under adverse handling of container 4, cover 6 is preferably provided with an upwardly and inwardly extending annular shoulder i3 (Fig. 3) which forms a conical seat for edge It. Thus, any irregularities along said edge will not prevent an air-tight engagement between said edge and cover 6 from being eiected and, furthermore, if, due to careless handling or packing, the position of inner container 9 relative to outer container 4 is changed slightly, it will not vitiate the seal between said edge and said cover.

In order to open container 4 after sealing to permit ready withdrawal therefrom of the contents of both compartments, any of the wellknown means for removing closure member 6 may be employed. Preferably, a frangible strip i4 is formed in body 5 at the upper end thereof, said strip having a portion thereof overlapping the longitudinal seam of said body to produce a readily accessible tongue l5. The latter is adapted to be engaged by a key I6 to sever said strip from said container body in the usualy manner, said key being carried by cover 6 and attached thereto by suitable means such as solder so as to be removable with little effort by hand.

The container is preferably fabricated and lled by first sealing the body at the upper end thereof to top closure member 6. Thereafter, inner container 9 filled with the product to be contained therein is inserted through the open end of container 5, as shown in Fig. 2, and moved upwardly past ange Il which has been previously formed in the container body. Flange il is sufficiently resilient and yielding to permit the passage of said inner container and then, after said container has been positioned, to support the latter and urge the Same in the direction of cover 6. The contents of container 9 are thus isolated, by the seals formed at edge lil and bead l2, from the lower compartment and from the product contained therein with which said u compartment is thereafter lled. The fabrication is completed by applying closure member 'l to the container body.

Another method of fabricating the container according to the present invention is to insert and position inner container 9 within outer container 5 and thereafter form rib H in said outer container to support said inner container.

When closure member 6 is removed by severing strip lll from container body 5, the body of inner container 9 extends above the edge of outer container 4 and may be easily removed to render the contents of the lower compartment readily accessible for removal.

There is thus provided a novel container having two compartments, one of said compartments being formed by an open-ended inner container which is novelly mounted and supported within an outer container, and the other of said compartments being formed by the remaining space within said outer container. The compartments are sealed from each other in a novel manner so that products such as baked beans and brown bread may be contained in the separate compartments without mixing Furthermore, the container may be very economically manufactured and filled and, once lled, the contents remain unmixed despite rough and careless handling of the container during packing and shipping.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto. For example, it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the upper closure member may be removed by a can opener instead of a key and that the container may be fabricated by inserting the inner container from the top and thereafter applying the top closure member thereto. Furthermore, although the description has been particularly directed to a container fabricated from metal, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the outer container may be fabricated from other resilient materials such as fiber and that the inner container may be fabricated from materials such as ber, glass, etc. Thus the word can should be interpreted broadly to include containers of these other materials. These and various other changes may be made in the design, arrangement of parts and method of -fabrication without departing from the spirit and scope of Ithe invention. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference will be had primarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of fabricating a double container which consists in forming a resilient support in the interior of a receptacle body having a frangible strip formed therewith, herrnetically sealing one end of said body with a closure member having a conical seat, inserting a receptacle past said support to position the same between the latter and said closure member with the upper edge of said receptacle in sealing engagement with said seat, and hermetically sealing the other end of said body.

2. The method of fabricating a plural compartment receptacle from a container having a hermetically sealed closure at one end and a resilient corrugation formed in the body thereof which consists in inserting an inner container past said corrugation into engagement with said closure, said corrugation thereafter supporting said inner container, and hermetically sealing the open end of the outer container with a closure member.

3. The method of making and filling a twocompartment container formed from an outer can provided with a closure at one end and being open at the other end and having an inwardly extending yielding shoulder intermediate the ends thereof and an inner can open at one end and of less length than the other can which consists in lling the inner can, inserting the filled inner can with its open end foremost through the open end of the outer can and past the yielding shoulder into engagement With the closure of the outer can so that said inner can will be supported by said shoulder, filling the compartment thus formed in the outer can, and sealing the open end of the outer can.

4. The method of fabricating a double container which consists in forming a resilient flange in the interior of a receptacle body, hermetically sealing one end of said body with a closure member having an inclined shoulder, inserting a receptacle past said flange to position the same between the latter and said closure member with the upper edge of said last-named receptacle in sealing engagement with said shoulder, and hermetically sealing the other end of said body.

EDWARD M. MURPHY 

